Agreed. Though I think there's the tiniest difference in her personality. I also like how they showed Hank as a good hero and not just a...you know. :s
The second season is coming out on April 1st right? I use this show to get through the large span of time in between Captain America and The Avengers...
People laugh at me, but I unibeam the smirks off their faces.

It's kind of funny how the Avengers book I look forward to the most is the animated tie-in. I really hope that the book's finalized art will turn out to be top notch, something to compete with what we'd see in a good 616 book. I also hope that Yost will get to write big adventure stories in this. I know that might be tough since they'd want to avoid anything contradictory to the tv show but they should limit the scope of the book. As much as I liked the mini-series, I don't think that supplementary material feel would work for an ongoing.

Fine talks a bit about the change in creative team midway through Season 2. Basically, after the first 13 episodes of Season 2, Chris Yost was being stretched thin because the powers-that-be wanted him to start writing for their film division. That had happened with Craig Kyle a couple of years sooner, which likely helped nix the second season of "WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN" since that show was his baby in many ways. The fact that Yost started writing more comic work for Marvel as well likely didn't make things easy on his schedule either. Secondly, that is about when Jeph Loeb - who at best has become a divisive figure in comics due to his recent output - became Marvel's TV czar. The powers-that-be started to grow concerned that Season 2 was becoming too serial and too focused on characters who weren't "the big four" (Cap, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk). So for the second half of Season 2, while Fine remained a producer and Yost remained the story editor, it was written by the "Man Of Action" team which is also handling "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN" for Disney XD as well as who handles "GENERATOR REX" and all the incarnations of "BEN 10".

The battle against serialized American cartoon shows has been waged since they began. Serialization makes reruns more complicated, as all the suits ever see a show as existing to produce are ratings cash and toy dollars. It was a battle Bruce Timm had with CN with "JL/U" at times, a battle John Semper had with FoxKids for his "SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" show in the 90's, and so on. The dilemma is that while you don't want endless episodes sacrificed for a main plot - the flaw of many TV anime series as well as some Joss Whedon seasons - you don't want episodes to become too interchangeable either. "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" is perhaps the best example of an excellent show which relied almost exclusively on "episodic" episodes, with very few of them directly taking place after others or being direct sequels to others. However, it is no longer 1992-1998 anymore, and audience expectations have changed. Kids digest the super complicated serialized stories of "NARUTO" or "ONE PIECE" with such ease that executives who fight against that, frankly, look even more like scared, out of touch old men who need toddlers to show them how to program a VHS machine.

The fact that Yost and Fine were still involved in the direction of the final 13 episodes is good news, although Loeb being at the helm of anything is a concern. The BEST thing people are saying about AVENGERS: X-SANCTION is, "well, it isn't horrendous". That is literally where the man's career is at. And often when a show is given editorial orders from executives on high, quality often struggles to survive. I haven't seen one person who claimed "BEN 10" was anything above "alright" for the longest time. That is perhaps because exceptional shows are often choked by networks, and terrible shows usually canned, so the only shows that last often attain a level of perpetual mediocrity which sustain them. It would truly be a shame to see this show - perhaps the best from Marvel Animation in a good, long while - become one of those choked shows.

At the very least, 2012 will be very interesting.

Frank D. Paur, who wrote/directed for the show, had this to say on the Toonzone forums over some fears by fans for the end of Season 2, especially about focus on "the big four":

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Paur

I wouldn't be too concerned about any characters being "reduced to background props", it just didn't happen. All the characters you've grown to love all have plenty of screen time, and although a few stories may have been altered, I doubt anyone unfamiliar with the them would notice much difference. I wish I could tell you more, but I wouldn't want to spoil all the fun you'll have finding out on your own.

AND WASP SHOULD GET A NEW OUTFIT!!!
Because doesn't she change it A LOT in the comics?

It is ironic that most of the characters are getting new costumes except for the Avenger most well known for changing her costume frequently.

Character models are expensive to keep changing, but, yeah, a new outfit for Season 2 wouldn't have been a bad idea. Maybe altering the colors to give the illusion of her changing it? I remember when the 2k3 "TMNT" cartoon did that with April O'Neil to give the impression she changed her clothes when all they did was change her t-shirt color a few times.

Jan has a Cold Climate costume (the one with longer boots and fur ruff) and often-shown civilian attire (the banana-yellow off-shoulder top with jeans.) She has a bikini, also in yellow. But that's about it. She needs a new supercostume.

Jan has a Cold Climate costume (the one with longer boots and fur ruff) and often-shown civilian attire (the banana-yellow off-shoulder top with jeans.) She has a bikini, also in yellow. But that's about it. She needs a new supercostume.

Agreed. I admit I was a little surprised when they announced costume changes for Cap, Thor, Iron Man and even Hulk but nada for Jan. But, who knows.

In fairness, her personality often makes up for her lack of having many costumes. If they didn't want to go nuts on character models, they could have a scene in a closet or something where you see like rows of other costumes she rejected or so on.

Yeah I agree; Jan above all needs a new costume at least every season.

__________________Nimoy: When I directed Star Trek IV, I got a magnificent performance out of Bill because I respected him so much.Shatner: And when I directed Star Trek V, I got a magnificent performance out of me because I respected me so much!

Agreed. I admit I was a little surprised when they announced costume changes for Cap, Thor, Iron Man and even Hulk but nada for Jan. But, who knows.

In fairness, her personality often makes up for her lack of having many costumes. If they didn't want to go nuts on character models, they could have a scene in a closet or something where you see like rows of other costumes she rejected or so on.

it is, marvel just refuses to accept that. they'll make their hulk tv show, it'll flop, and they'll still pretend that he's their most popular character behind spidey

The Hulk does seem to be struggling for a comeback in the public eye. Like Superman he's turned into a once beloved celebrity who's fallen on hard times and can't get general audiences to think of him as being "cool" again.

Wasn't Thor supposed to get his own solo cartoon series at some point?